Holding Onto Happiness
by mama's-broken-heart
Summary: Direct continuation of Holding Onto Hope. Series of one-shots that follows the lives of Tony, Ziva, and their daughter as they adjust to their new life as a family and the ever-present relationship between Tony and Ziva.
1. Village

_**Welcome to the follow-up of "Holding Onto Hope!" These chapters will be one-shots spanning any period of time after the end of HOH. Each of these chapters will be the title of a song, followed by one line of lyrics that stood out to me as fitting with the chapter's theme.**_

 _ **Village**_

" _Cause your whole heart's a village, everyone you love has built it"_

 **Monday, July 20, 2015**

Even though he knew he would see them at lunch today, it was harder than he expected to walk out the door this morning. Since Ziva had appeared, they hadn't been separated from each other for a long period of time thanks to Gibbs generous gift of the week off. In the elevator up to the bullpen, he couldn't help but remember the events of the morning.

 _He woke up that morning to find his arm around Ziva and her cuddled against his side, the soft sounds of a sleeping Tikva drifting over from her crib. Looking over at the clock, he found he had twenty minutes before he actually had to be awake. Instead of going back to sleep, he turned his alarm down so it wouldn't wake either of the sleeping girls and decided to just take in his surroundings while pondering the events of the past week and a half. Two weeks ago, he had been Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, living in a quiet apartment on his own and dedicating all of his time to his job. Now, he was Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, a father who was reunited with the woman he loves, living in an apartment with Ziva and their daughter, their sounds of talk and laughter filling the space. Even after Ziva showed up at his doorstep, he didn't expect things to go as well as they did but he couldn't be more thrilled. For the past week he's been with them 24/7 and today he's finally getting to re-unite them with the team, but that also means having to go back to work and not being able to be with them all day. Not wanting to ruin his mood, he pushed those thoughts away and instead focused on the way Ziva was curled up against him. She had one arm draped across his stomach and her head was resting on his chest, hair tickling his nose. They hadn't been this close in bed since the nights they spent together after he found her in Israel two years ago (except for the night on vacation when they fell asleep watching a movie, but that didn't count.) He was just thinking how he could spend the rest of his life like this when his alarm clock went off, making him shift slightly to turn it off. He lifted Ziva's arm off his chest as gently as possible and was surprised when the only thing she did was roll over and curl into the blankets. Wanting to spend as much time as possible with Ziva and Tikva before he left for work, he rushed through his morning routine and planned on eating a quick breakfast before the girls woke up. When he walked out of the bathroom though, those plans changed as he heard Ziva's voice travel from the kitchen as she sang to their daughter. She was putting the finishing touches on breakfast when he walked in and was greeted by a "good morning Tony" when he sat down at the table. With an hour left before he actually had to leave, he took his time eating, talking to Ziva between bites, and, after they were finished, sat on the couch with Tikva as she played with her stuffed dog. Time to leave, Tony got up and walked to the door slowly with Ziva right behind him with Tikva reminding him that the earlier her went to work, the earlier he would see them at lunch. At the door, he turned around and kissed the top of his daughters head and was slightly stunned when Ziva leaned up and kissed his cheek before saying goodbye and pushing him out the door._

When the elevator doors opened, Abby rushed in to tackle him with one of her famous hugs, effectively breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Tony Tony Tony! Where were you? I was so worried! McGee told me you were taking the week off. Is everything okay?" She rambled in typical Abby fashion, pulling back slightly to look him over. Satisfied that he seemed okay, she yelled "Why didn't you call me?!" emphasizing her question with a light punch to his shoulder.

Finally peeling her off of him, he led her out of the elevator and turned her to face him, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm fine Abs, really. I just wanted to take some time off to see Senior, try to make up for lost time. And I'm sorry I didn't call but it was a spur of the moment thing, I just called Gibbs to get the time off and then called McGee 'cause I knew you wouldn't get too mad at him for telling you."

Abby sighed but nodded, accepting his excuse and apology. "Okay, fine. But call me next time you decide to take a week off mister, I missed you!"

"I missed you too Abs. How 'bout we do lunch today? I can bring something down to the lab?"

"That sounds perfect!" She jumped up and down before giving him a quick hug and going to get back on the elevator.

" _Well that went smoothly_ ," Tony thought, walking to his desk and setting down his bag. He was eager to set out the picture of Ziva and Tikva that he had taken in Lewes so he could display his new family to the world but realized when McGee walked in that it would have to wait until after lunch.

"Hey Tony, welcome back. How was the week off?"

Tony smiled, thanking him before launching into his well-practiced alibi for the past week. "It was good Tim. Had a quiet week catching up with Senior, spent some time on the water. It was nice."

"Well good for you Tony, I'm glad it went well. Think you and Senior made any progress?"

"Well uh, you know, things like that don't just happen overnight." He stumbled through an answer and kicked himself for not having come up with one before. He should have known McGee would ask. Needing to change the subject, he quickly moved on to the question he needed to ask McGee. "So, to uh, to make up for leaving you alone last week, why don't we do lunch today, my treat?"

Hesitant to accept because Tony was usually never this generous, McGee gave him a questioning glace before sitting down at his desk.

"Oh come on McGee, please? I'll even invite Abby too." He sing-songed.

McGee caved, agreeing to meet him in Abby's lab as soon as they were available to take lunch.

Gibbs strode into the bullpen at that moment and both agents watched as he went straight to his desk and sat down.

McGee gave Tony a questioning glance when the usual "gear up" wasn't heard from through the room. "Morning Boss, no case today?" McGee asked.

"Nope. Paperwork day for you two."

McGee swallowed that information and then glanced to the empty desk across the room that was lacking their newest agent. "Bishop have the day off?"

Gibbs sat his coffee down on his desk, already tired of the questions. He's just glad that the changes in today's routine were because of DiNozzo's plan or else he'd keep asking questions until he received a head slap. He looks up at McGee and tells him that she's working with the NSA today then looks back down at his paperwork, clearly ending the conversation.

Taking the hint that he needs to shut up and get to work, McGee glanced at Tony who just shrugged and they both quickly got to work. After making sure McGee was focused on working and not paying attention, he glanced up at Gibbs and gave him a grateful look, knowing that he couldn't pull off his lunch surprise without his help. Gibbs just looked up and nodded his head in recognition, telling him silently that no thanks was needed.

4 long, boring hours into the day of never ending paperwork, Gibbs looked up at his team and told them to take lunch. Tony's head flew up and he tried hard to control his excitement because he knew Gibbs had gotten work that Ziva was almost to NCIS. Gibbs got on the elevator and went down to wait for Ziva's taxi to pull up outside while Tony made sure McGee went down to the lab and got his and Abby's orders before meeting Gibbs and the girls inside the door so he could escort them through the building under the guise of picking up lunch. He walked with Ziva, carrying the picnic basket that she brought, while Gibbs carried Tikva. The four of them reached the lab and Ziva took a big breath, nervous yet ready to see the people she considered family again after so long away. Tony peeked in the door and noticed that both Abby and McGee's backs were turned and gave the others a thumbs up. Gibbs stayed in the hallway outside the door with Tikva while Tony walked in with Ziva hidden behind him.

"So I didn't buy exactly buy lunch, but I figured this would make up for it." The duo turned around in time to see Ziva step out from behind Tony. They both stared at her in shock as she stood there nervously wringing her hands. Abby shook off her surprise first and launched herself towards Ziva, giving her a welcome home hug, Abby style, and whispered "I missed you" into Ziva's ear. Ziva hugged her back in a strength that matched Abby's and tried to hold back the tears that were brimming in her eyes. Once Abby pulled away, McGee immediately stepped up and captured Ziva in a strong hug and surprised her when his "I'm so glad to see you" came out in a tear-filled voice. That broke her resolve and she let a few tears escape. His hug lasted longer than Abby's and they both had to wipe at their eyes when they pulled away. Ziva stepped back next to Tony who gave her a side hug. Before Abby and McGee started asking the questions they both knew were coming, Ziva spoke up, giving Gibbs the signal to bring Tikva in the room.

"It is very nice to be back here and see you all again. Before we sit down to eat though, there is one thing I have to tell you." At that, Gibbs entered the room with an alert Tikva on his hip. As soon as she saw Ziva, she reached out, her cry of "Ima!" startling the rooms unsuspecting occupants for the second time that day. "Abby, Tim, this is Tikva. Tikva, this is Abby and Tim. Say hi." Tikva waved at them before starting to cuddle back into Ziva before noticing Tony for the first time since entering the room and reaching out to him.

"Abba!"

Tony sat the basket of food on the floor before picking up Tikva from her mother's arms. He turned back around to see McGee and Abby with wide eyes, looking back and forth between himself and Ziva.

"Wait. You…." She pointed to Tony, then to Ziva, and finally to Tikva "and you… and her…?"

Ziva chuckled lightly at their baffled friends before confirming Abby's question. "Yes Abby, Tikva is our daughter."

"Oh my gosh, congratulations you guys! She's so cute! Can I see her?" Abby rushed out, coming up next to Tony and talking more to Tikva than to her parents. Tikva curled up more into Tony's side and hid her face in his shoulder.

"She's kinda shy with new people Abs. Give her a little time to warm up to you first."

Abby pouted at first before turning back to the others and announcing she was ready to eat. They talked some over lunch about Tikva and their time together since Ziva arrived back in D.C. Lunch ended with the promise of getting together for dinner one evening soon before the new family went down to see Ducky and Jimmy outside of autopsy where Ziva received a gentle hug from Ducky and an enthusiastic yet awkward one from Jimmy. Tikva was doted over by both men until Tony realized the time and that lunch would be over soon. They invited Ducky and Jimmy for their group dinner before walking outside to call a cab.

Tony put his arm around Ziva's shoulders, hugging her from the side and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Thank you Tony. I needed to see them. I have missed them.

"They've missed you too. See, I told you it wouldn't be a problem. They love you Ziva, and they love Tikva too. We're all glad to have you back."

"It is good to be back Tony."

At that moment, the cab pulled up and Tony got Tikva settled while Ziva got their bags in. He shut Tikva's door, then walked around to Ziva's side, putting one hand on the open door and one on the side of the car, leaning in.

"So, uh, I'll see you at the apartment?"

"Yes, we will see you there. Goodbye Tony."

"Bye Ziva, bye Tikva." He waved excitedly to his daughter as the car pulled out.

When he got back up to the bullpen, he sat at his desk and pulled out the family beach picture he had been looking at this morning. Spinning around, he proudly pinned it up behind his desk and stared at the smiling faces of his daughter and Ziva, happier than he's been in a long time. Six o'clock couldn't get here fast enough.

 **AN: Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed Holding Onto Hope! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Holding Onto Happiness! If there's anything you would like to see in future chapters, please leave it in the reviews, I love hearing from you!**

" **Village" by Cam, Copyright 2015, All rights belong to: Marvelous Oaks Records (BMI), King in the Castle (BMI), Natalie Murphy Music (BMI).**

 **NCIS, Copyright, All rights belong to CBS Broadcasting INC.**


	2. A Thousand Years

_**A Thousand Years**_

" _Wherever you go, whatever the future holds  
No matter what tomorrow brings  
On earth or the stars, I will be where you are" – Little Big Town_

 _I cannot believe how long this chapter took to write and I apologize for the long delay. The inspiration came and went for me on this chapter which is why it took forever to get out. Thank you so much to the reviewers of the last chapter and my previous story, they mean a lot. As always, if you have any suggestions of one-shots that you would like me to include in this story please leave it in a review or message me!_

 _Happy Thanksgiving!_

 **Sunday evening, July 26**

After putting Tikva to bed for the night, Tony and Ziva were sitting on the couch watching a TV movie. While Tony was engrossed in the action, Ziva was lost in thought, thinking back to their family dinner on Friday.

 _The Dinner Party – Friday, July 24_

 _The team dinner had gone swimmingly. Thanks to no active cases and Gibbs team not on call for the weekend, the boss man was lenient and let everyone leave at a decent hour. As soon as they were given the go ahead, Tony rushed home to help get everything ready before their friends arrived at 7:00 pm. After a quick stop at the store, he walked in his door, receiving a quick kiss on the cheek from Ziva before she grabbed the bags and rushed back in to the kitchen to finish the night's meal and dessert. Seeing Tikva playing in the living room, he shut the door behind him and walked into the apartment. Tikva looked up at him with a smile on her face before she was picked up and spun around the room by her father and receiving a kiss before being sat back down to play. Not long after Tony began helping Ziva in the kitchen, their guests started to arrive. Always the early bird, Gibbs arrived first to spend time with his granddaughter. An enthusiastic Abby followed shortly after with McGee and neither Tony nor Ziva passed up the fact that their arms were linked. Ducky was the next to arrive with the Palmer family right behind._

 _With everyone there, all eight adults and two babies gathered around the dinner table, enjoying food most of them hadn't eaten in over two years and catching up on what they each had missed out on, including the two new additions to their little family. The team told Ziva about their newest Agent Bishop, who was currently working on a joint operation with her former NSA employers, while Ziva recounted her explanation for not coming back sooner, not before thanking them all for their work in taking down Mishnev and allowing her to be home. The rest of dinner was spent over casual conversation while the proud parents showed off Tikva's First Year picture album. Time flew by and before they knew it, the clock read 10:00, signaling to the remaining guests that it was time to go (Jimmy and Breena had left a little more than an hour earlier to get Victoria in bed and Ducky departing shortly after.) When they were walking their friends out the door, Abby paused before saying goodbye to Ziva._

" _I still can't believe you and Tony are living together. And you have a baby!" She excitedly whispered before giving Ziva one of her famous hugs. "I'm just so happy you're back together." Ziva just smiled and nodded, her mind too busy focusing on Abby's words to form her own. They waved to their friends as they walked out of the door and, though she went about the night as if nothing had happened, she couldn't get Abby's words out of her head._

The movie was almost over before Tony realized just how quiet she had been since putting Tikva to bed. He looked down to where she was leaning against his side and tried to study the look on her face. "You've been pretty quiet tonight. Penny for your thoughts?" As usual, the idiom went over her head as she looked at him questioningly before he clarified. "What are you thinking about Ziva?"

She hummed before answering with dismissive "Oh, nothing." He just stared at her until she relented, sitting up and turning to face him on the couch. "It's just, something Abby said the other night when she was leaving."

Even after 2 weeks of Ziva being back in his life, he had forgotten how difficult it was to get her to talk about what was bothering her. "Well, what did she say? If it was something hurtful, I'm sure she didn't mean it. You know how Abby doesn't think before speaking sometimes."

"No, no, it was nothing hurtful Tony, it just made me think." "About?" Ziva stood up off of the couch and started pacing. "What are we doing here Tony? I mean, we are living in the same house, we have a baby together, but we are not together. We have been playing house for the last two weeks but I need to make plans that are permanent. If I am going to be living here in DC again, I need to establish a life for myself and Tikva."

Tony took in her words slowly and became more worried as she went on. "What does this mean Ziva?"

She stopped pacing and stood directly in front of where Tony was sitting on the couch with his head looking up at her nervously. "I think it is time I find my own place Tony." She held up her hand when it looked like he was going to argue. "Since I have been back, everything has happened so fast I have not had time to really think about it all. But after what Abby said, I realized that I less than I month I went from being a single mother in Israel to having what resembles a family and living in America. I need to find my own ground again."

"It's finding your footing or getting your feet back on the ground." Tony couldn't resist correcting her and he found it had the desired effect when she gave him a slight smile. "Listen Ziva, I don't know exactly what we are at the moment, but I do know one thing and that's I don't want you to move. I already couldn't handle not seeing you and Tikva every day."

At this point, she sat down next to him, getting his attention by grabbing one of his hands and holding it in hers. "Tony, it is not necessarily that I want to do this, but I need to. Perhaps I will find a small apartment close by so that you can still see us whenever you want."

Unwilling to let them go that easily, he looked up and voiced what he believed was the best solution "What if we move in together?" At her skeptical look he was quick to explain. "Just hear me out okay? We look for a place to buy together, some place big enough where we would both have our own space but still be in the same house. We can learn to be a real family and, hopefully, work on us and our friendship/relationship. What do you say?"

Ziva sat stunned for a moment, taking in everything Tony just laid on the table while he sat there nervously waiting for her to respond. After what seemed like an eternity, she tapped his hand and voiced her decision.

"I think I like your idea Tony." His face broke out in a huge smile and started to speak before she halted him. "But I also believe we should take some time to decide what we want together before making a big decision like buying a house. And during that time, I think I would like to spend some time at Gibbs' house more often, like a little, temporary break from each other. Would you be okay with that Tony?"

Although he wasn't completely thrilled at the fact that she wanted to spend some time apart first, he understood. "I think I would be okay with that. So we're doing this? We're really going to talk about our feelings and start looking at houses together."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Yes, we are really going to do this. I want to do this, us."

At her words, he pulled her in for a hug and kissed her forehead before standing up, hands still linked, and leading her into the bedroom. They fell asleep content that night knowing that they were on the right path, both for themselves and a potential relationship and for their little family. Tony, for one, could not wait to see what the future would hold.

 _All rights to NCIS belong to CBS and "A Thousand Years" is copyright of EMI April Music, Inc., Waltz Time Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Tunes, LLC, Onaly Music_


End file.
